Featuring Ty Dolla $ign // An Album By Ty Dolla $ign

This album title is so fitting, isn’t it? Because I’ll be honest with you, up until this year, for the most part of it, the only time I ever listened to Ty Dolla $ign was when he was a featured artist on another musician’s song. The first time I really stopped and listened to the man’s voice was when he featured on Jacob Collier’s track All I Need, alongside out girl Mahalia. The man can sing.

I mean if you scroll all the way to the bottom of his Spotify profile, you get one of the longest ‘Appears On’ list I have ever seen. He’s appeared on some of my favourite releases in the last few years and so many more. Post Malone, Ariana, Roddy Rich, Drake, Migos, Jhene, Dreamville, Chance The Rapper, Mac Miller, Sza, Thundercat, Kehlani, Kanye, Jacob Collier, Amine, Ella Mai, KAYTRANADA, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera – they’ve all got Ty on their tracks and that’s not even half of it.

He’s literally everywhere and he has been for years, and so for his third studio album to be called, Featuring Ty Dolla $ign? Love it. I’m so about it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ty Dolla $ign (@tydollasign)

I mean, even the first track, Intro, touches on the fact that he’s been working so much with other artists, yet he’s so talented as a solo act. He covers genuinely all aspects of music creation from writing the music, doing some of the instrumentation and even mixing and mastering. His track LA features on the Netflix series Song Exploder which delves into the entire creative process behind individual tracks, and it’s one of my favourite episodes that really showcases how talented he is.

That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of features on this record; the switch being they’re featuring on Ty Dolla $ign’s album and not the other way around. You’ve got Kehlani, Nicki Minaj, Anderson .Paak, Mustard, Roddy Rich, Jhene Aiko, Gunna, Musiq Soulchild, Kanye, FKA Twigs, Skrillex and plenty more – it’s a golden standard feature list for a hip hop/RnB album, if you ask me.

One of my favourite things is how seamlessly a lot of the songs blend into each other. I didn’t realise my favourite song when I first listened to it, was actually two seperate songs, Status and Temptations, because of how smoothly they blend into each other. Something I love about all of Ty’s songs are how melodic they are, whether it’s the music or his rapping and singing, there’s so much musicality and so many little pockets in his songs.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ty Dolla $ign (@tydollasign)

I really enjoy the little interludes sprinkled throughout the album too, specifically the Burna Boy Interlude, which is super calming and relaxed. It’s another example of beautifully constructed and arranged music that just bleeds from one track to another.

It wouldn’t be a blog post of mine if I didn’t highlight Kehlani’s feature track, Universe. That said, it’s also just generally one of my favourite songs on the album. It’s got this super smooth guitar riff throughout the whole thing, and I’ve come to really love how well Ty layers and stacks harmonies and vocals, which he does really tastefully on this song. Between him and Kehlani, they both have a amazing raspy tones and it just matches so perfectly, especially in contrast to that guitar.

Your Turn features 6LACK, Musiq Soulchild and Tish Hyman, and it’s just so smooth. It’s the epitome of smooth and sits perfectly as a little taste of some old school RnB. It’s straight out of the late 90’s/early 2000’s and it builds and grows beautifully over the track. It’s super lazy and laidback in the best possible way.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ty Dolla $ign (@tydollasign)

I have to mention Ego Death featuring Kanye, FKA Twigs and Skrillex. Such a strong beat, very unexpected, but very much appreciated.

I couldn’t have predicted that in 2020 Ty Dolla $ign would be one of my most listened to artists or that I would be rinsing his album as much as I am, but here we are. Let me know if you’ve listened to it already or if you want to give it a listen in the future.

x

Priya

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
Instagram: YouShouldHear
Twitter: YouShouldHear
Instagram: priya_francis (personal)
Spotify: priyafrancis

Duckwrth // SUPERGOOD

Hello everyone!

I hope you’re well and thriving and if you’re not, I hope you are soon. 

Today I wanted to drop in to share with you an album I’ve been thoroughly enjoying, and that is Duckwrth’s SuperGood album. 

I can’t say I’ve always paid a ton of attention to Duckwrth and what he’s up to, and other than adding a couple singles to some of my playlists, he’s not an artist I always have on my radar. So how did I come across this album and why has it become a staple to get me through the week?

The visual teaser for one of the tracks, Kiss U Right Now, appeared on my recommended on YouTube. I loved the aesthetic of it, how much of a teaser it actually was and the song itself was beautiful and super sultry and smooth. Had me hooked straight away. So obviously I ran to Spotify like I always do and checked out the whole song, which led me to finding the SuperGood album. Praise be!

Now of all of Duckwrth’s songs, the one I listen to the most is a track called MICHUUL., which I love for it’s groove and rhythm, and that’s only readily available throughout this album. 

It also comes along with a few notable features, including EARTHGANG, Australia’s very own KIAN, Julia Romana and Kyle Dion to name a few. It’s a good selection of artists to add to what’s already shaping up to be one of my favourite albums of 2020. 

The opening track, New Long Song, is such a perfect debut for the album, mixing in some old school sounds with beautiful vocals and super smooth lyrics. I love Duckwrth’s rapping voice. Then add onto that how much I love his singing voice and you’ve got this perfect mix. The song is also incredibly dynamic. Take’s you to church a bit. 

//source//

Quick, which features our boy KIAN, is another favourite of mine. Super percussive and rhythmic, which I really enjoy. It’s really different for KIAN, and he and Duckwrth melt together perfectly on this track. It’s a collaboration I wouldn’t have seen coming, but I’m entirely here for it. 

Super Bounce, which features EARTHGANG is super smooth. It’s one of my other highlights from this record. I get a few D’Angelo vibes from this tune, but it’s also just beautifully intricate in all the sounds and rhythms that are combined throughout the track. In particular, the keys and the synths in this song really come together beautifully, and everything just floats so seamlessly together. 

If you’re looking for some new music to listen through, a new album to put on and work your way through, or some new tracks to add to your playlists, I highly recommend SuperGood. I’m clearly very enthusiastic about it, and I’m gonna be keeping a closer eye on Duckwrth from here on out and you should too. 

x

Priya

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
Instagram: YouShouldHear
Twitter: YouShouldHear
Instagram: priya_francis (personal)
Spotify: priyafrancis

Some Film & Some Tunes

I’ve been waiting to share this post for some time. I’ve already done one of these before, you can find it HERE, but for some reason I decided to sit on four completed rolls of film for a little while, and then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and I was unable to get into the city to have them developed. Finally, I have them developed, and I love these rolls so much.

Absolutely cherish every single photo – all 146 of them.

I don’t know if it’s because the photos are that cute, or just because I had to wait so long to have them done, like I’m talking months, but I love them and that’s all that matters.

Here’s some film photos, and some tunes to go along with them.

 

---

 

Hands – Brandt Orange
nursery – bbno$, Lentra
Glimmer – Mako Road
Switch Off – Milan Ring
Broken – Lund
Searching For A Feeling – Thirdstory

 

 

Bridges – Johnnyswim
The Land – Hoodzy
Be Like You – Whethan, Broods
Doing Better – Jamie Isaac
Your Favourite Song – Eighty Ninety
Philospher – Iris Temple
By Myself – Christian French, Triegy
Thirteen Sad Farewells – Stu Larsen

 

 

 

Ms Understood – Vintage Slims
Alladat – Church & AP
things change – Arno Faraji
Junk Food Forever – The Amazons
Brighter Than the Sun – Reuben Stone

 

---

x

Priya

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
Instagram: YouShouldHear
Twitter: YouShouldHear
Instagram: priya_francis (personal)
Spotify: priyafrancis

Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes // What Kinda Music

Hello boys and girls – hope you’re all well!

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Tom Misch fan, and if you’ve somehow missed the many features he’s made on this blog over the past couple of years…I don’t know what to tell you.

His latest project, has been one I’ve been anticipating very eagerly, a collaboration album with one of my favourite drummers and South-London artists, Yussef Dayes, What Kinda Music.

It’s genuinely filled to the brim with incredibly intricate tunes, that just ebb and flow so naturally. As Tom mentions in the album documentary I’ve linked below, quite a few of the songs were created through jam sessions, without a clear cut song structure or outline, which I think only allows more room for each music to really, really shine.

Yussef is, for obvious reasons, one of my favourite drummers and producers at the moment, and this album really shows off just how technically skilled he is. The drumming on this album adds a completely new element to Tom’s already incredible instrumentation and production, and the fact that it’s all live tracked in a studio during these jam sessions gives the entire album a really authentic and raw feeling, despite how clean and crisp every sound is.

Festival, the second song on the album is one of my favourites. It’s super ambient, while still allowing for Yussef’s drumming to cut right through. Tom’s vocals serve as more of a synth at times, but he jumps back and forth between these long drawn out notes and super rhythmic singing that meets Yussef’s energy in a really understated way.

 

Last 100 was the song I added to my playlists straight away on my first listen to the album. It’s just got so much packed into it, but everything has a moment to stand out. The drums are so clean on this particular track and just provide a really nice energy and framework for Tom to swim in with his guitar. Add in the super catchy hook, and it’s just the tastiest song on the track for me. Really gets the head bobbing if we’re being honest.

Kyiv is the last song from the album I wanna mention. It’s beautiful. So much space within one song, and it all fits together like a puzzle piece. I love the fact that while there are some songs with vocals and lyrics on this album, there are also a bunch of instrumental songs, this being one of the highlights for me. It was one of the four singles that were released for this album, and it’s definitely my favourite of that selection. I personally think it’s a great taster of the whole album, and both Tom and Yussef really pull together on this track beautifully.

I’ve had a Tom Misch post sitting in my drafts for months now, close to a year, but this will have to do for now, because as much as I love Tom and his entire discography of solo work, I’m currently obsessed with this album and I reckon it’s gonna be on high rotation for a while.

If you check out the album, let me know what you think! I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially if you’ve never dived into any Tom Misch or Yussef Dayes before – this is a great taste of it for sure.

 

x

Priya

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
Instagram: YouShouldHear
Twitter: YouShouldHear
Instagram: priya_francis (personal)
Spotify: priyafrancis

III by The Lumineers

Hello friends.

I hope you’re all well and enjoying your weeks, as far into the week as you are whenever you’re reading this post.

Today I wanted to speak about an album that I wasn’t really sure I was going to enjoy when I first realised I had to listen to it. For that to make sense, I’ll have to share a little bit about what I’m doing with my life at the moment, and that’s contributing writing to arguably Melbourne’s most loved freely distributed music magazine, Beat. Feel free to have a Google and see if you can spot any of my writing!

Anyway, amongst reviewing concerts and interviewing an artist every now and then, one of the other things I get to do is listen to new albums and review them for the fortnightly album review section of the mag. I put my hand up to have a listen to the recent Lumineers album, III, and was lucky enough to get it.

//source//

If you’ve read a few of my other posts or checked out any of my playlists, you’d know that I enjoy a couple of songs from the band, namely Sleep On The Floor, which I’ll forever and always be in love with, but I wasn’t sure what to expect.

That said, I was beautifully surprised, shocked, and incredibly moved. I nearly got emotional several times while listening through the album.

The album follows the story of a fictional family, the Sparks, and it depicts the struggle and evolution of this family having to live with a member fighting an addiction, and how that impacts the various members of the family. It’s a harrowing story and while it’s not a topic I’m incredibly close to personally, it made me really emotional.

There’s so much that I respect The Lumineers for, sonically, especially. Wesley Shultz has one of my favourite voices ever, and his vocal performance only amplifies the emotion and empathy behind all the lyrics in each song.

//source//

They also tread the line of allowing the album to really live and become energetic in songs like Gloria and Leader of The Landslide. I love how some of the songs sit so gently in your chest, either gently strumming a guitar or a melody on the piano, while others really hit you in the gut, songs like Life In The City and Jimmy Sparks. I also really enjoyed listening to the different parts of the story and understanding the story of how the family unfolds. The entire record really allows you to build this cinematic movie within the music and a really clear story that can only really be put together once you’ve listened to the album in it’s entirety.

I highly recommend you read the album review done by Atwood Magazine on each song, their meanings and the intricacy within the album, You can read that HERE.

This was such a beautiful album to listen to, it’s already been saved and playlisted on my Spotify. An absolute gem of a release.

x

Priya

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
Instagram: YouShouldHear
Twitter: YouShouldHear
Instagram: priya_francis (personal)
Spotify: priyafrancis

Hey Billie Eilish … Calm Down Please x

So we’ve had some time to marinate in the absolute sauce that is WHEN WE ALL FOR ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? and I feel like I can confidently say we’re all just basking in how amazing it is?

Like Billie said she’d deliver, and she came through. Sorry, Billie and Finneas came through and delivered one of the most streamed albums of the year so far. Literally, nearly every single song on that album was charting the week it was released.

//source//

The fact that !!!!!!! (boy you do not know how hard it was counting those exclamation points) is only 13 seconds long? Love that. Love it. It confused me at first, but now I can basically quote the 13 second Invisalign monologue by heart. And I love how it just jumps straight into bad guy, which is one of my favourite songs off the entire album.

This song had me hooked from the second it started. It had my jaw on the floor and my head bopping up and down the entire time. It’s such a bop but it’s an intricate bop. There’s so many layers to this song, especially vocally, and all of it combines to create this really unique sound that I haven’t really heard before, which is what I think contributes to how much this album exploded.

xanny is another one of my favourites. I kinda overlooked it at first, but one of my friends mentioned that it was her favourite of the album, so I returned to it and now I’m loving it so much. Every time I listen to it I pick up on something new in the lyrics to be amazed at. I can imagine this absolutely blowing the lid of a stadium when she takes this on tour. She better.

//source//

you should see me in a crown doesn’t even need a bit. A banger. A bop. A hard, hitting, slap.

all the good girls go to hell is another song I kinda shamefully overlooked, cos I felt like I’d heard it before. The piano really threw me off for some stupid reason, but it literally only took one more listen for me to restore my senses. Her vocals in this song are so clean and crisp.

wish you were gay is a great song. Not my favourite, but it’s definitely not a bad song by any means. I love the backing vocals in this song and the nursery rhyme kinda of vibe they have, especially during the verses. The chorus is also one I can imagine going off during an arena tour.

when the party’s over makes me emo. I don’t know what it is about this album, but again, I didn’t really grasp the emotion or the intent behind the song until a second listen. I think it was because I was so caught up in listening to her vocal performance and the production when I first listened to it, that I never really took in the lyrics, which for me are the best part of the entire song. They’re so beautiful and vulnerable and I love how open it is.

 

//source//

 

I really like 8. It’s so simple and sweet but it’s such a sad song. The vocal mixing and the production is so perfect and it works really well with the lyrics.

my strange addiction made me scream, purely hearing The Office being sampled throughout it. It’s got a really groovy synth bass line that’s super bouncy and I can definitely get around it. The melody in the chorus is also insanely catchy, and this song was stuck in my head hours after listening to the album.

Obviously you then have bury friend which kinda kicked the whole aesthetic of the album into second gear. I think the more and more I listen to the album, the more I’ll be able to bring some of the other songs up to this level. At the moment this song and bad guy are so far up on my favourites list, it’s not even funny, it’s kinda disrespectful.

ilomilo is an interesting one. Probably my least favourite song out of the album. Again, not a bad song at all, it just doesn’t stick in my mind as distinctly as the other songs do.

listen before i go nearly made me cry when I first heard it. The first line is so ridiculously sad, and it’s hard to fathom that someone so young could pen these type of lyrics. I desperately want to do a cover of this song.

 

//source//

Another tear-jerker. i love you is another beautiful song, but one of my favourite parts is undeniably how distinct Finneas’ voice is in it. Their voices gel and blend so well together and this song is a great example of it.

goodbye gave me shivers the first time I heard the vocal harmonies. Such a fitting song for the last track of the album. I love how she managed to weave the rest of the songs from the album into the final song, I got major Jon Bellion, Hand Of God – Outro vibes from it because he does it in that song as well. It’s something I’ve always admired and I love when artists mesh their songs into one another. She’s done it before when she references Ocean Eyes, one of her first songs, in you should see me in a crown so goodbye just seems like the perfect way to wrap up the album.

---

 

So that’s WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO.

But I’m not done. I think one of the most crucial parts, one of the biggest assets to the entire album, one of the reasons the album is as good as it is, is Finneas. If you aren’t aware of Finneas, Billie’s older brother, he’s the other half of the team that’s really built this artist and all these songs from the ground up. I probably can’t really do Finneas justice or explain his process or his thoughts, so I highly recommend watching the video below. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

I’d love to know your thoughts on the album. Let me know in the comments below!

x

Priya

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
Instagram: YouShouldHear
Twitter: YouShouldHear
Instagram: priya_francis (personal)
Spotify: priyafrancis

Ariana’s Gift To Us All

Hello, hello.

Unless you’ve been living under the world’s largest rock recently, you’d be aware that Ariana Grande currently has the world in the palm of her hand, and is killing the game. I thought 2018 was her year, but 2019 has barely started and she’s already claimed this year as her own.

She recently released her album, titled after the first single she dropped, ‘thank you, next‘ and my god, this album is everything she’s been promising and more.

I’ve never considered myself a ‘fan’ of Ariana Grande if we’re being honest. Up until last year I only ever really listened to her when she popped up on the radio, but I rarely went on to Spotify with the intent to literally binge her entire album, which up until today, I could never say I had done. That’s over.

That said, let’s get into this play-by-play rundown. Sadly this isn’t a reaction post, because I was too busy hyping every second of it to think about typing down my thoughts. But it’s close enough.

//source//

imagine
Ok. I know this song is cute. I know it’s a sweet lil tune, and heaps of people are around it. But it’s taken me way too long to get into it and now I’m only just jumping on the bandwagon. It took me a little while to even bother listening to it, even though it was released as a single. I don’t know. I just wasn’t hooked straight away.

needy
Did someone say me? No, they just said ‘needy’, but that’s practically the same thing. This song gets me. The simple piano is something that makes it such a catchy song, and the record just sounds like a dream, really kick-starting the entire ethereal aesthetic of the overall album. I kinda want to do a cover of this song, plainly for how simple it is, but how great it is to listen to.

NASA
How genius. This is a great tune. Such a great song. The play on words and the open-ness about just needing, space? I love the content of this album, Ariana’s so honest and raw in it, and it’s an honesty that I think her audience have come to expect from her. I think with everything she’s been through, in such a short time span, she can’t afford to be anything other than honest and true. However she still manages to do so in a way that gets you off your feet and bopping.

 

//source//

bloodline
This is undoubtedly, in my top three songs on this album. The trumpets, how simple and catchy the chorus is, the story-line, everything. This song to me, in a nutshell, throws all the necessary shade at Pete Davidson, in one, pent up go. Considering how many times Pete decided to use their ended engagement as the butt of a joke, compared to how silent she kinda was, the whole ‘letting go’ part of the song kinda points fingers at a comparison between the two and how they handled the ended relationship so differently. Regardless, the song is a really fun anthem, and I find myself searching for it while I’m getting ready to jump in the car, purely so I can sing along.

fake smile
I love the intro to this song. So much. I mean sampling Wendy Rene?? Yes please. This song is probably one of the most honest songs on the album. She’s so candid about that fact that she’s been through hell. So much, and for someone so young who’s constantly on show, being scrutinised every second, it’s gonna be hard regardless. The song remains cute and playful, but provides a really vulnerable insight into Ariana’s mind.

bad idea
This song’s just really strong and energetic, but in a ridiculously cool way. She doesn’t sound like she cares at all and funnily enough it’s what I love the most about it. I don’t know if this song reaches as high as some of the others on the album for me personally, but it’s a good song to fit into the middle of the record. It genuinely fits the aesthetic of the record and I think a lot of time has gone into crafting the perfect selection of songs that contrast yet still manage to compliment each other.

make up
We love a cheeky play on words.

//source//

ghostin
Possibly the saddest song on the album. It’s all about giving someone so much and getting little in return, and I think it’s possibly one of the strongest yet vulnerable songs on the album for how much it says. I think the song could possibly be about how much she had to go through, especially considering she was in a relationship while at the same time dealing with fall outs and issues from other relationships. The song is so clearly about that balance between Pete Davidson and Mac Miller, and the repercussions of his death not only on her personally, but also possibly on her relationship, and the fact that’s she’s so open and honest about it is a bold move considering how much flack and hatred she received when Mac passed away.

in my head
I think Ariana’s killing it with the introductions on all her songs, as well as the sampling. It’s all done tastefully, there aren’t any voice memos included simply because it might sound good, and samples are being used in a fresh way for her music. The fact that the voice memo is of her close friend Doug who ‘was a major help’ to her through some of her hardest moments speaks volumes. I think the song could be speaking about the way she sees someone, compared to way the rest of the world sees them, and the reality in between all of that, and I love it.

7 rings
A bop. An anthem. I sing this song all the time, nearly once a day, and it’s constantly being rewound and played back again. At first I was kinda confused, but then the confusion passed, the clouds moved away and I saw the light, and now I can’t get enough.

thank u, next
The song that shook us all. The song that announced her rebirth, her resurrection, her re-brand. A lot of love for this song, man.

break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored
Ah yes, we’ve arrived. My favourite song on the entire bloody album. I feel like this song is the bad-ass sister song to thank u, next, which is quite subtle about it, but this song is so in your face, I love it. I haven’t listened to it as much as 7 rings, but boy am I getting there.  Wait for this song on my February Tunes, cos it’ll be there, I promise.

//source//

So yeah! That’s my song-by-song wrap up of Ariana’s album, thank u, next. I’ve been loving Ariana and her music since she released God Is A Woman and I’m sure she’s gonna give us a lot more in 2019. Let me know what you think, in the comments below.

x

Priya

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
Instagram: YouShouldHear
Twitter: YouShouldHear
Instagram: priya_francis (personal)
Spotify: priyafrancis

Billie Eilish, What The Heck?

Hello, hello!

As we’ve come to expect from the wise-beyond-her-years 17 year old, Billie Eilish has dropped another song on us, and this time even I’m simultaneously mildly creeped out and hella inspired by what she manages to come up with. Fans of horror pop, Billie says ‘you’re welcome’.

I mean the song’s called bury a friend for a start.

I think it’s easier to let you have a look at the video to begin with, *if you can’t do needles, I’d be wary*.

 

 

She’s tastefully released the track after announcing her debut album, (finally), WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, as well as teeing these up with the announcement of the Groovin In The Moo music festival here in Australia, which she’s playing in 2019.

bury a friend, according to Billie is from the perspective of the monster under your bed, and I think the visuals pretty much sum that up perfectly. I could not take my eyes off the video, regardless of how freaked out it made me, and I think a lot of it comes down to how young Billie is, yet how 100% committed she is to every idea she puts out and how perfectly she executes what she says she’s going to do, this music video being no different.

The entire concept is as everyone’s talking about, incredibly dark, but the song itself, is a bop. I mean, are we surprised at this point?

Regardless of the fact that she talks about stapling your tongue, burying a friend, cannibalism, drowning and stepping on glass, the song is so bloody good. The bass is so percussive that it adds to the drums and there’s plenty of little elements here and there like the addition of a second voice behind the chorus vocals, screeches, the squeaks of a door opening, drill noises, literally everything you would associate with some sort of horror movie, and it all works so well.

Of course, by now we know that Billie’s older brother Finneas has a level of credit that’s straight away given to him because of how much creative direction he gives all the music. As the producer and co-writer, I’ve really enjoyed seeing how two people who’ve contributed to the creation of such a broad and varied catalogue of songs have grown together and I think Finneas’ production and writing style on compliments the ideas that Billie brings forward. Their working relationship in comparison to their sibling relationship is super interesting to me and I’d love to see more of it this year.

Lyrically, you want to sing along, so bad, and then when you finally hear the song enough, (only about 15 times the day it’s released in my case), and can confidently sing along with it, you realise the words are so morbid and dark, but the beat makes it so irrelevant. I feel like if my parents were to hear me singing along to this song at home or something they’d be wildly concerned.

 

//source//

It’s peak horror pop and I for one, love it.

I’m super excited for this album. Time and time again, Billie proves that she’s capable of coming up with things we’ve never seen before and from such a young girl, it’s remarkable. Heck, she was one of the first people I ever wrote about, she’s credit to one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to, and she’s finally getting the recognition she so deserves.

x

Priya

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
Instagram: YouShouldHear
Twitter: YouShouldHear
Instagram: priya_francis (personal)
Spotify: priyafrancis

ONEPOINTFIVE

Hello, hello, hello.

So on the 15th of August, Amine followed up his incredibly well received album, Good For You, with a second, ONEPOINTFIVE.

//source//

If you’ve been here long enough, you’ll know that I’m a fan. A huge Amine fan. As in, his face is the cover of my 365//2018 playlist on Spotify (check it out check it out), so I basically look at it everyday. Which made the surprise drop all the more great. I can’t remember where I was, but as soon as I saw the album was out, shared on Adam’s Instagram himself, I had to check it out. Considering I was freaking out over this album the day it was dropped along with the rest of his fans, this blog post is coming super duper late.

I love it.

Where I was loving songs like Heebiejeebies, Money, Spice Girl and Beach Boy from Good For You, ONEPOINTFIVE is delivering a whole new selection of favourites to groove to, that come along with the melodic samples and beats that I’ve come to expect from Amine.

DR. WHOEVER, the opening song of the album is probably one of my favourites. I love Amine more-so for the creative music videos, the skits and the intro’s he has on some of his songs, and this one is no different because it was an entire mood for me, that I nearly cried with laughter the first time I heard it.

//source//

REEL IT IN is another great song from this album. The beats on this album are so good, for example, REEL IT IN has this acoustic guitar that serves as the basis for the song, paired with this really deep kick drum and what genuinely sounds like a primary school recorder that pops up from time to time. It’s currently the song being championed to try and get to No. 1 and I’m all for it.

WHY? is one of my favourites. It’s not overly melodic, but the singing Amine does on his album is fantastically paired with his rapping and the overall style of the rest of the album. I’ve found myself singing the hook plenty of times around the house and in my head on the train.

SHINE is probably my favourite. It’s so easy and light, the perfect love dedication and apology in one. I love the amount of guitar used in this album, whether it’s a raw guitar or a sample of one, it all comes together beautifully, creating this sick contrast with how hard Amine goes in lyrically.

 

//source//

 

SUGARPARENTS and RATCHET SATURN GIRL are the tunes you turn to when you want to pipe it up a bit with the pals before you head out, or you’re feeling particularly rowdy while you’ve got the day off from university and you’ve got the house to yourself…

Amine’s lyrics are some of my favourite to come from any rapper, and it’s what makes him one of my absolute favourite musicians ever. I love the pairing of how light and airy his music is sonically, and how heavy some of his lyrics are, with the sprinkling of comedy and life anecdotes. Things like mentioning how he’d react if his sister modelled Fashion Nova (same), how his dad’s upset he left home because now he has to mow the front lawn, really blunt statements like needing love, while being depressed, while being a fool, and being a mess.

Reality check type lyrics.

Let me know if Amine is down your alley, and if so, have you heard the album? If you have, I’d love to know which songs you loved in particular!

x

Priya

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
Instagram: YouShouldHear
Twitter: YouShouldHear
Instagram: priya_francis (personal)
Spotify: priyafrancis

An Album Review!

Hello my beautiful best friends, and welcome to yet another poorly procrastinated, long overdue blog post. I’ll try to make this one a good one to make up for my crap effort as a blogger.

 

A couple of days ago I was scrolling through WordPress, and came across a post about 13 Reasons Why, which I am still yet to watch, and probably won’t ever end up watching. But the post was all about some of the music in the new season. We all know how much I love lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid, but a new song I discovered that I instantly fell in love with, was The Night We Met, by Lord Huron.

I swear, I instantly got chills, and somehow I immediately pictured myself in the middle of Zion National Park where I was around this time last year when my family were in the USA. If you remember ages ago I wrote a post about the colour of a song, then this song was instantly a ‘green’ song for me, some of my favourite types of songs. Something about the guitar and the beautiful harmonies sound so natural and ethereal, and I was transported to a completely different place when I was listening. So, I decided to check out Lord Huron, or at least Strange Trails, the album the song features on, and boy, I was not disappointed.

So I thought I’d do a short album review for you all. I’ve saved quite a few of the songs onto playlists as well as the entire album, which I’ve also downloaded so I can listen to the beautiful stuff whenever I want. Perfect driving music, my friends.

 

The first song is Love Like Ghosts. I have to say it’s one of my favourites. It’s so rhythmic, and the multi-layered vocals just do it for me. Like I mentioned before, there’s something so atmospheric about Lord Huron’s music, I just love it.

Until The Night Turns is the second song on the album and I’m in love with it. It’s a stark difference to The Night We Met, considering how up beat and bouncy it is. It’s got a steady beat, and the drums drive this song a lot, compared to some of the others that are very vocal or guitar driven.

Another song I really like is La Belle Fleur Sauvage. It’s a beautiful folk song, and the title roughly translates to ‘beautiful wildflower’ which I guess is the perfect metaphor for the girl the song is written about. It seems so fitting for a mid-western travelling song, through mountains and fields and nature in general.

The World Ender begins with this gorgeous guitar intro, and builds into this heavy, intense beat that sounds like it belongs in a Mexican stand-off scene from an old Western movie and I love it. Another song that’s driven by the drums, but I love the vocals in this song as well.

The Yawning Grave is one of the most beautiful-est (??) songs on the entire album in my opinion. The entire album is so cinematic and this song feels like a real character arc soundtrack. Could be up there with one of my favourite songs on the album.

 

The entire album seems like one long, intricately woven story, and you really need several listens to fully digest the lyrical content, the details in all the instrumentation and arrangements and to fully immerse yourself in the mix of sereneness and ambience that the band creates.

I would highly recommend listening to Lord Huron, especially if you’re a fan of indie, indie rock or folk music. It was a great listen, and I’ve found myself listening to the entire album over and over again, especially on long commutes into the city, on my way into the studio, while I’m doing any work I have to do, or simply just laying in bed relaxing. It’s an amazing album, let me know if you give it a listen!

x

Priya

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
Instagram: YouShouldHear
Twitter: YouShouldHear
Instagram: priya_francis (personal)
Spotify: priyafrancis